In our second best game of the year Poland defeated Ireland 3-2. This was our most important test before the qualifier against Northern Ireland next year and most of the players passed it with flying colours. Now we’re in for winter of B squad friendlies and squad speculation.
Ireland-Poland 2:3 (M.Lewandowski 3′, Roger 47′, R.Lewandowski 89′- S.Hunt 88′, Andrews 90′)
Poland: Lukasz Fabianski - Marcin Wasilewski, Bartosz Bosacki, Dariusz Dudka, Jakub Wawrzyniak - Jakub Blaszczykowski (46-Roger Guerreiro), Rafal Boguski (70-Slawomir Peszko), Mariusz Lewandowski, Lukasz Gargula, Jacek Krzynowek (81-Tomasz Jodlowiec) - Pawel Brozek (46-Robert Lewandowski)
First of all, sorry for the lack of regular posting lately, but I’ve been lying in bed with fever for the last couple of days. Still, this game deserves a mention, so it would be unthinkable for me not to cover it. I found only one surprise in our starting lineup; it was Rafal Boguski, who, just like in Wisla, was a linkup player between the midfield and Pawel Brozek. Hardly did I start to sip my tea (beer is not a good idea when you have a high temperature) when Mariusz Lewandowski scored with a header after a well taken free kick. Wow, Poland scores after a set piece, unbelievable. Reason behind this miracle? Lukasz Gargula can easily be called Polish top free kick specialist. He’s proving it in the Polish league and managed to transfer this reputation on the international stage. I have only one word to describe what happened after the first goal: chaos. The ball was flying above our heads, we couldn’t hold it in midfield, Irish players won almost every header in the middle of the park. It was clearly an islanders’ type of game, a one that we can expect from Northern Ireland next year. Fortunately, they lost their heads anytime they were close to Fabianski’s goal; Damien Duff alone had three great chances. Pawel Brozek, on the other hand, had two, but once his shot was too weak and later he was caught by Richard Dunne (which, considering his natural speed, he shouldn’t allow) while being in the clear. Still, Brozek’s movement throughout the game was nice and he looked threatening all the time. Our best player in the first half was Kuba Blaszczykowski. He was the only Pole that didn’t lose the ball under pressure, was able to dribble past defenders and send nice balls towards Broziu. It almost seemed like our whole strategy was “pass the ball to Kuba and let’s see what he’ll come up with”. Ireland used high pressing for the most part of the first half and some players couldn’t cope with it. It’s something that Leo should note for the future.
The thing with high pressing is that you can’t use it all the time because you would’ve run out of steam. Suddenly, we had much more space and started playing with the ball, started passing it, started playing our type of game. The first fifteen minutes of the second half were our best in this match; it was the Bialo Czerwoni that you’d always like to see. And it all happened after Kuba Blaszczykowski left the pitch. What’s the logic behind it? Personally, I think that other players just had to take the responsibility into their own hands. They no longer could wait for Kuba to win the match for them. Moreover, Roger brought much calmness into our game with his precise passes. Not only passes, but shots as well. The second goal was scored by Pereiro with a nice shot from outside the penalty area. After that we dominated the game for long spells; Polish fans were extatic. Boguski was much better on the right wing than as a linkup player, Jacek Krzynowek asked for the ball more often and Gargula together with M.Lewandowski were able to exchange more than two passes. It was also Jakub Wawrzyniak’s best time in the national team. He looked more confident than ever and was just unbeatable when one on one with Irish wingers. Slawomir Peszko, earning his first cap, also proved that maybe there is an international potential in him. Then Tomasz Jodlowiec came on…I don’t want to make a scapegoat of him, but his entering the field made our defence a bit shaky. He gave away one of the stupidest penalties that I’ve seen lately, a one that gave Ireland hope and something to fight for. Fortunately, for every puzzled Jodlowiec there is confident Robert Lewandowski. Having already missed one great chance and been bruised severely by the Irish defenders young Lewy showed why exactly there is so much hype surrounding him in Poland. Great first touch and a beauty of a shot, Magic Zurawski in his best Wisla days. Unfortunately, our chaotic defending allowed the Irish to score one more goal, but they just didn’t have enough time to achieve a draw. A very good game for a friendly and a one that will make us anticipate the next qualifiers eagerly.
Player ratings:
Lukasz Fabianski 7: had a lot of crosses to deal with, but managed perfectly. Knew when to leave the goal line. Has to work on kicking the ball more precisely.
Marcin Wasilewski 6: a game without a stupid mistake is always a good game for Wasyl. Had some problems with Duff in the first half, but came out victorious in the second.
Dariusz Dudka 6: our defensive play was a bit chaotic in the first half and in the closing minutes. Too often we had to be saved by the last defender. At the same time, it was Dudka who saved us most of the time; some great tackles and a clearance off the line.
Bartosz Bosacki 5: played on a similar level as Dudka, just without any sensational interventions.
Jakub Wawrzyniak 7: his best performance in the national team; hard to beat, especially in the second half.
Mariusz Lewandowski 7: a goal and a rather average display in the first half, no goal and a good performance in the second half.
Lukasz Gargula 6: disappeared from the radar after a great assist for the first goal. Found in the second half when the whole team was playing a lot better.
Jakub Blaszczykowski 7: drove our play forward in the first half, a constant threat. Can’t rely solely on him, though, as he’s covered by three defenders nowadays.
Jacek Krzynowek 6: sleepy in the first half, but woke up in time for the second. The thing is, he’s not a leader anymore, but he can be a useful squad player.
Rafal Boguski 6: in the first half he couldn’t find his place on the pitch, was scared, didn’t know what was happening. Showed his potential for fast, offensive play on the right wing in the second half. Great pass to R.Lewandowski.
Pawel Brozek 6: good movement, good positioning, but could’ve scored at least once.
Roger Guerreiro 7: stabilized the tempo of our play, kept possession in our hands and scored a great goal.
Robert Lewandowski 7: what a strike! Moreover, starts playing better with a defender on his back.
Slawomir Peszko 6: knows that his main strength is his speed and tries to use it most of the times he has the ball. May prove useful in the future, especially for counters.
Tomasz Jodlowiec 3: sorry Tomek, there was no way you could’ve won the ball with such a tackle. Why the risk then?
Conclusions:
- we are ready for Northern Ireland.
- we can’t allow such first half chaos in the game against Northern Ireland.
- Kuba Blaszczykowski is great, but let’s try not to pass each and every ball to him.
- Pawel Brozek, Jakub Wawrzyniak and Robert Lewandowski have matured enough to become crucial members of the team.
- Rafal Boguski, Slawomir Peszko and especially Tomasz Jodlowiec are at the beginning of that road.
- you can rely on Lukasz Fabianski.
- Lukasz Gargula is our best set pieces specialist.
- Dariusz Dudka is a fighter.
- it was the third game in a row where we’ve conceded goals in the last ten minutes. Something’s wrong with our concentration.
- Polish fans were great yesterday; loud, energetic and very proud.
That’s it as far as this year’s important games are concerned. We achieved a result that will make us sleep calmly during the winter break. Next in line are semi-official friendlies where Leo will have a look at the biggest talents from the Polish Ekstraklasa. Will a new star be born?
Highlights:
Other news: The guys from the Polish Soca! site (the only other English source for the fans of Polish football, nice work) asked me to inform you about a contest that they’re carrying out. The best thing about it is that you can win a trial at Legia. Feel you’re up to the challenge? Feel you’re one of the future stars of Polish football? Have a go then.
I had it prepared earlier, but was unable to publish it due to health problems. Squad Watch, if you’re still interested. I’ll publish the Ireland-Poland game review in a couple of minutes.
Goalkeepers:
Artur Boruc (Celtic Glasgow)- not in the squad against Hamilton, injury
Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal London)- on the bench against Aston Villa
Wojciech Kowalewski (Iraklis Thessaloniki)- 90 minutes against Panionios
Tomasz Kuszczak (ManUtd)- not in the squad against Stoke
Mariusz Pawelek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes against Lechia, note 6
Sebastian Przyrowski (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Lech, note 6
Lukasz Zaluska (Dundee United)- 90 minutes against Kilmarnock
Defenders:
Barosz Bosacki (Lech Poznan)- on the bench against Polonia Warsaw
Grzegorz Bronowicki (Red Star Belgrade)- not in the squad against FK Banat, injury
Seweryn Gancarczyk (Metalist Kharkiv)- couldn’t find the info
Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bucharest)- on the bench against Poli
Mariusz Jop (FC Moscow)- didn’t play
Adam Kokoszka (Empoli F.C.)- 90 minutes against Grosseto
Marcin Kowalczyk (Dinamo Moscow)- didn’t play
Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Lech, note 4
Piotr Polczak (Cracovia Krakow)- 90 minutes against Gornik, note 6
Arkadiusz Radomski (NEC Nijmegen)- 90 minutes against Utrecht
Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht)- 90 minutes against FC Brugge
Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes and a goal against Slask, note 7
Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Polonia Warsaw, note 6
Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos Pireus)- not in the squad against PAOK, injury
Midfielders:
Tomasz Bandrowski (Lech Poznan)- 20 minutes against Polonia Warsaw, note 5
Rafal Boguski (Wisla Krakow)- 64 minutes against Lechia, note 6
Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund)- 73 minutes and an assist against Eintracht
Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre)- 20 minutes against Socheaux
Lukasz Gargula (GKS Belchatow)- 90 minutes against Arka, note 4
Roger Guerreiro (Legia Warsaw)- 18 minutes against Slask, note 5
Przemysław Kazmierczak (Derby County)- 3 minutes against Sheffield Wed
Jacek Krzynowek (VFL Wolfsburg)- not in the squad against Hoffenheim
Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk)- on the bench against Dynamo Kiev
Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow)- 26 minutes and an assist against Lechia, note 6
Radoslaw Majewski (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Lech, note 4
Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan)- 70 minutes against Polonia Warsaw, note 6, injury
Szymon Pawlowski (Zaglebie Lubin)- 90 minutes and two goals against GKP Gorzow, note 7
Michal Pazdan (Gornik Zabrze)- not in the squad against Cracovia, ban
Sławomir Peszko (Lech Poznan)- 79 minutes against Polonia Warsaw, note 7
Attackers:
Pawel Brozek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes and two goals against Lechia, note 8
Dawid Janczyk (CSKA Moscow)- 1 minute against Rubin
Michal Janota (Feyenoord Rotterdam)- 70 minutes against Twente
Ireneusz Jelen (AJ Auxerre)- not in the squad against Socheaux, injury
Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan)- 11 minutes against Polonia Warsaw
Lukasz Piszczek (Hertha Berlin)- not in the squad against HSV, injury
Grzegorz Rasiak (Watford)- 30 minutes against Barnsley
Marek Saganowski (Aalborg)- 90 minutes against Esbjerg
Ebi Smolarek (Bolton Wanderers)- 6 minutes against Liverpool
Artur Wichniarek (Arminia Bielefeld)- 89 minutes against VFB Stuttgart
Tomasz Zahorski (Gornik Zabrze)- not in the squad against Cracovia, red card ban
Maciej Zurawski (Larissa)- 90 minutes and a goal against Panathinaikos
Highlights:
Magic Zurawski’s first goal f the season
Just a quick recap of what Bialo Czerwoni achieved in mid week games. Click for highlights, it’s worth it for Fabianski’s great save..
I just wrote in the last note that it’s a crucial time in Lukasz Fabianski’s career. The best thing he can do now is to be more than regular, to show something extraordinary. This is exactly what happenned in the League Cup game against Wigan. The best Fabianski save I’ve ever seen; in fact, it was so good that the normally polite Arsenal goalie decided to celebrate it with the most popular Polish swear word. No wonder Arsene Wenger says Fabianski uses his chance well.
98745jwkjs - For more amazing video clips, click here
Maybe we have a free kick specialist after all. Lukasz Gargula slowly returns to form that made him an important national team player two years ago. A sweet freekick; more of that against Ireland please.
Other news: Michal Zewlakow is injured and won’t take part in the friendly against Ireland. Bartosz Bosacki was called up to replace him. I think we’ll finally see Tomasz Jodlowiec having a go at the international level football. Mariusz Lewandowski will be our captain in Zewlak’s absence.
It’s speculated that Lukasz Zaluska will become Artur Boruc’s successor at Celtic. The player himself doesn’t want to end up on the bench and says that he won’t move to the Bhoys if Artur stays there. At the same time, Zaluska doesnt’ rule out a possible transfer; he can be snapped by anyone for as little as 500,000 Euros (a release clause fee). A bargain if you ask me.
We’ll sign a new contract with a kit supplier next year; a one that is to be worth 30M € over four years. It’ll be visibly bigger than last one beacuse of our hosting the Euros in 2012. Both Puma and Nike are in contention. Puma had its share of nice kits (the one for 2002 World Cup is my favourite), but their latest designs failed to satisfy my taste (I don’t like the numbers’ font on our current shirt so much that I didn’t even buy it for the Euros). I wonder what Nike would do with our jersey. Who would you prefer?
Only two goals were scored this weekend by Poles being observed in the Squad Watch, so I decided to concentrate on a goalkeeper, Lukasz Fabianski. Unfortunately, he’s still to earn Arsene Wenger’s trust and replace Manuel Almunia as Arsenal’s nr 1. Moreover, I decided to translate extracts from an interesting interview with Jacek Bak that was published on Friday.
Lack of spectacular performances by Poles this weekend:
Goalkeepers:
Artur Boruc (Celtic Glasgow)- not in the squad against Motherwell, preparing for surgery
Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal London)- 12 minutes against ManUtd
Wojciech Kowalewski (Iraklis Thessaloniki)- 90 minutes against Levadiakos
Tomasz Kuszczak (ManUtd)- on the bench against Arsenal
Mariusz Pawelek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes against LKS Lodz, note 5
Sebastian Przyrowski (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Jagiellonia, note 5
Lukasz Zaluska (Dundee United)- 90 minutes against Aberdeen
Defenders:
Barosz Bosacki (Lech Poznan)- on the bench against Lechia
Grzegorz Bronowicki (Red Star Belgrade)- not in the squad against , injury
Seweryn Gancarczyk (Metalist Kharkiv)- 3 minutes against Kryvbas
Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bucharest)- didn’t play against Rapid
Mariusz Jop (FC Moscow)- 80 minutes against CSKA Moscow
Adam Kokoszka (Empoli F.C.)- 90 minutes against Frosinone
Marcin Kowalczyk (Dinamo Moscow)- not in the squad against Luch Energiya
Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Jagiellonia, note 6
Piotr Polczak (Cracovia Krakow)- 90 minutes against GKS Belchatow, note 3
Arkadiusz Radomski (NEC Nijmegen)- on the bench against PSV
Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht)- 90 minutes against Lokeren
Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Polonia Bytom, note 5
Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Lechia, note 6
Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos Pireus)- 37 minutes against Panathinaikos
Midfielders:
Tomasz Bandrowski (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Lechia, note 6
Rafal Boguski (Wisla Krakow)- 69 minutes against LKS Lodz, note 5
Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund)- 45 minutes against HSV
Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre)- 89 minutes against Bordeaux
Lukasz Gargula (GKS Belchatow)- 90 minutes and a goal against Cracovia
Roger Guerreiro (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Polonia Bytom, note 4
Przemysław Kazmierczak (Derby County)- on the bench against Reading
Jacek Krzynowek (VFL Wolfsburg)- 17 minutes against Energie
Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk)- 90 minutes against Tavriya
Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow)- 21 minutes against LKS Lodz, note 4
Radoslaw Majewski (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Jagiellonia, note 4
Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan)- not in the squad against Lechia
Szymon Pawlowski (Zaglebie Lubin)- 90 minutes against Dolcan
Michal Pazdan (Gornik Zabrze)- 90 minutes against Odra, note 5
Sławomir Peszko (Lech Poznan)- 76 minutes against Lechia, note 5
Attackers:
Pawel Brozek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes against LKS Lodz, note 5
Dawid Janczyk (CSKA Moscow)- on the bench against FC Moscow
Michal Janota (Feyenoord Rotterdam)- on the bench against Utrecht
Ireneusz Jelen (AJ Auxerre)- not in the squad against Bordeaux, injury
Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes, a goal and an assist against Lechia, note 8
Lukasz Piszczek (Hertha Berlin)- not in the squad against Hoffenheim, injury
Grzegorz Rasiak (Watford)- 72 minutes against Swansea
Marek Saganowski (Aalborg)- 80 minutes against Broendby
Ebi Smolarek (Bolton Wanderers)- 13 minutes against Hull
Artur Wichniarek (Arminia Bielefeld)- 90 minutes against Borussia MG
Tomasz Zahorski (Gornik Zabrze)- 90 minutes against Odra, note 6
Maciej Zurawski (Larissa)- 90 minutes against Ergotelis
Summary: There was a lot of rumours in the Polish press that Lukasz Fabianski would start against ManUtd. Arsene Wenger didn’t share those rumours and opted for Manuel Almunia. I remember writing at the beginning of the season that Fabian would become Arsenal’s nr 1 sooner or later and I still back it up. Almunia is a good keeper, but he’s not excellent; he’s not up there witch Buffons and van der Sars of this world. Fabianski’s situation is different to Jerzy Dudek’s; he can earn a starting spot anytime in the season. This time, however, Wenger was afraid of taking too much risk, if it wasn’t the game against ManUtd Fabianski might have played for the whole 90 minutes. He was faultless in a mid week Champions League game against Fenerbahce. Almunia, on the other hand, made some mistakes in recent games and the Gunners’ defence looked far from well organized. Still, after the win against the Red Devils it seems improbable that Wenger will change anything in the starting lineup. How long can Fabianski wait? End of the season is the deadline, as far as I’m concerned. It would be a huge mistake to spend three seasons in a row on the bench. There was some talk about a loan deal to PSG, but none of the clubs confirmed it. But the sole fact that Fabianski’s name is mentioned in a transfer context shows that the press, the player and the club are all aware that the Polish goalie won’t agree to sit on the bench for another season. I think we’re witnessing the crucial time in Fabian’s career.
Jacek Bak gets controversial. Since Polish players failed to do anything interesting this weekend I decided to translate some extracts from the interview that Jacek Bak gave to Magazyn Sportowy, for all those without an access to the Polish press. An interesting interview that was; since Bak retired from the national team he can now stop beating about the bush and say what’s really on his mind. Here are his most interesting opinions:
About resigning from the national team:
Maybe, at 37, I would be able to play in 2012 World Cup. But what for? To be eliminated after the first round? I’d be stressed out even before the tournament, I wouldn’t know where to run, left or right.
About him not being a tough guy, a charismatic captain:
I never was a star. I couldn’t criticize anybody, I was afraid that I can make the same mistake that the guy I was shouting at just a moment ago. I didn’t want to act like a tough guy. I never applied for the captain’s armband. I agree, however, that sometimes I should’ve said “Shit coach, I don’t like that. Either we play like this and this or I don’t give a shit and won’t play at all. Goodbye ”. I’ve never done something like that.
About the former players/experts, that criticized him during Euro 2008:
I didn’t want to talk to a guy that played five times in the national team and was wise enough to say what I do wrong. This Adamski (Marcin Adamski), what did he do in his career? He played in Rapid for a year and a half, started complaining about the coach and went to play in the French 4th or 5th division. Let’s not be silly (…) Zibi (Zbigniew Boniek) was a great player, but he wasn’t very brave when he managed the national team. A guy with such a renowned name shouldn’t have run away after things gone wrong. Hajto (Tomasz Hajto) is great, eloquent, and he’s right when he says that we fucked up the Euros, but he should also remember about what Pauleta made of him during the World Cup in Korea. Once I got Pauleta’s shirt after the game against PSG and I wanted to make a joke. I wanted to hire a messenger who would deliver the shirt to Hajto’s dressing room. In the end, I came to the conclusion that Tomek’s sense of humour is not that subtle. Kowalczyk I admire, if I had drunk as much as he did I’d be dead by now. He probably has two livers.
About his achievments:
I’m very happy with what I accomplished in the 35 years of my life (…) I played in the Champions League with Lyon and Lens. I scored with an overhead kick against Inter. Not many defenders can say something like that about themselves. I scored against the Italian national team. I’m healthy, I’ve got a great wife, a son, I’ve got enough money. What else can you expect from life?
About Lech Poznan fans:
To be honest, I don’t give a shit about their banners and booing, but I can’t tolerate their behaviour in the hotel. I was assaulted and spilled over with coke.
About Euro 2008:
Tactics was crucial, we weren’t prepared well enough in this respect (…) We played very high up the field as a defence, but we were totally unprepared to do it (…) I won’t, however, criticize the coach now as I didn’t do it when I had a chance to.
About the Polish league:
Firstly, none of the Polish clubs can afford me. Secondly, every player will say that playing in the Polish league is a total degradation.
Biggest personal regret?
Allowing Scholes to score with a header on Wembley.
Biggest success?
Successful covering of Ronaldo in a game against Inter.
Best coach?
Andrzej Strejlau.
His successor in the national team?
When I last time nominated Dariusz Dudka he decided to get so drunk to trigger a national scandal. I’m joking. The only player with a potential for an international career is Kuba Blaszczykowski.
I agree with Bak in almost all respects. It’s a shame that he didn’t have balls to talk with Leo about our defensive strategy at Euros. We all know what happened in games against Germany and Austria. As a captain and the leader of our defence Bak was in a position to question Leo’s ideas. He says, however, that he didn’t want to use a translator since Leo doesn’t understand Polish or English and he doesn’t know English. I hope that Michal Zewlakow knows English well.
Highlights:
Gargula scores from a close range
Lech Poznan should’ve officially be awarded the title for the most thrilling Polish team, their games are very hard to forget. This time they lost the lead twice, scored from 40 metres and failed to put the ball in an empty net in the dying minutes. All in one single game of football. Lech was aided by Nancy’s goalie, who mysteriously decided to calmly walk behind his goal line. With the ball!
Lech Poznan-Nancy 2:2 (Peszko 5′, Stilic 22′- Malonga 10′, Zerka 82′)
Lech: Turina - Wojtkowiak, Bosacki, Arboleda, Djurdjevic - Murawski (90. Kucharski), Injac (64. Bandrowski), Wilk - Peszko (78. Lewandowski), Stilic - Rengifo
So, what we’ve learnt from this game? Let’s have a look:
- tactically, Lech is not mature enough for this stage of Uefa Cup, there’s too much chaos in their game
- still, it’s this chaos that makes their games so interesting and enjoyable. They follow the ‘expect the unexpected’ doctrine
- at the same time, there isn’t much hope of going through; even an average French team has more quality players
- Rafal Murawski knows what to do with the ball and doesn’t lose his head under pressure
- Semir Stilic is just too good for the Polish league; I sense a big money transfer in the future
- Bartosz Bosacki can’t organize the defensive play
- Grzegorz Wojtkowiak is helpless when left one-on-one with a classy winger
- Slawomir Peszko is Marcin Zajac’s successor as the fastest Polish player. I’m sure he’ll earn his first cap in the winter friendlies
- never play Tomasz Bandrowski when ill
- can’t wait for the next Uefa Cup game (vs CSKA Moscow); I predict we’ll see at least five goals and, who knows, maybe some will be scored by Lech.
Bracigliano’s (a perfect name for an eccentric keeper) antics:
Usually, this would be a sensational news; Artur Boruc is left out of the Polish squad for the friendly against Ireland. It would also sound probable since Boruc was to blame for our World Cup qualifying defeat against Slovakia. However, this time around the decision is based purely on Artie’s health problems; he’s going to undergo a minor surgery in two weeks’ time. Other than that, there were no surprises in the squad.
Bialo Czerwoni called up for the Ireland friendly (November 19th):
Goalkeepers: Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal), Lukasz Zaluska (Dundee United)
Defenders: Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht), Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (Lech Poznan), Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos), Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre), Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warsaw), Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw)
Midfielders: Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk), Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan), Lukasz Gargula (GKS Bełchatow), Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Rafal Boguski (Wisla Krakow), Euzebiusz Smolarek (Bolton Wanderers), Jacek Krzynowek (VfL Wolfsburg), Roger Guerreiro (Legia Warsaw), Radoslaw Majewski (Polonia Warsaw)
Attackers: Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan), Paweł Brożek (Wisla Krakow)
Backups: Wojciech Kowalewski (Iraklis), Marcin Kowalczyk (Dynamo Moscow), Bartosz Bosacki (Lech Poznan), Tomasz Bandrowski (Lech Poznan), Slawomir Peszko (Lech Poznan), Tomasz Zahorski (Gornik Zabrze)
As you can see, Leo didn’t make the headlines this time and refrained from any shocking call ups. The game against Ireland is to prepare us for the qualifier against Northern Ireland and Leo wants to test the players that he’ll most surely call up in March. There are no new faces in the team, anyone counting to see Piotr Brozek, Arkadiusz Radomski or Artur Wichniarek among the chosen must feel disappointed (no fresh meat for the journalists). Some players lost their place in the squad in the last couple of months: Pawel Golanski hasn’t been picked since he recovered from injury, Marek Saganowski’s last game was against San Marino, Wojciech Lobodzinski turned into an average league player and Lukasz Sosin failed to make any sort of impression on Leo last time he was nominated. It’s especially surprising with regards to the last name, I’d expect Sosin to be given at least one friendly half before being written off. His situation reminds of the one with Seweryn Gancarczyk, who was called up for the games against Slovenia and San Marino but we weren’t given the possibility to check if he can add any extra dimension to the team. The question of Sosin’s usefulness will also remain unanswered, at least for the time being. Jacek Krzynowek and Ebi Smolarek are still considered important team members, even though they watch league games from the stands and bench perspective respectively.
Personally, my expectation regarding this game is to finally learn if players like Jodlowiec, Boguski or Majewski have what it takes to succeed on the international level. I’d like to see each one of them for at least 45 minutes. They were all called up last time, but weren’t given a chance to prove themselves. Now it’s a perfect occassion to see if Jodlowiec is not too slow, Boguski fast and creative enough and if Majewski has the physical strength to play in Europe. Hopefully, this won’t be another free and meaningless trip for these lads. Other than that, I wonder if Polish fans living in Ireland will be able to outshout the locals. This may prove a tough task, but nothing is impossible for the Bialo Czerwoni faithfuls (I remember our fans outdoing the English during the youth teams matchup this year).
Other news: Both Maciej Zurawski and Jacek Krzynowek are thinking about coming back to the Polish league, to Wisla Krakow and Gornik Zabrze respectively. Time to say goodbye.
Artur Boruc’s intervention against ManUtd, a mistake or not, what do you think? I think he could’ve reacted better.
In reference to ignoring Pawel Brozek last time he substituted him, Leo Beenhakker promised to kiss and hug the Wisla player next time he decides to take him off the field. Brozek needs some fondling.
Last week’s Polish FA elections overshadowed even the most spectacular individual player performances. Grzegorz Lato became the FA’s president; a choice that proved that the delegates weren’t ready for any sort of a positive change. Lato is a representative of “the old”; that is officials skilled in wasting money and clapping each other’s backs. The only hope is that Lato proves so bad that he’ll have to resign in a year’s time.
First things first, let’s have a look at how the players performed:
Goalkeepers:
Artur Boruc (Celtic Glasgow)- 90 minutes against Hearts
Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal London)- on the bench against Stoke City
Wojciech Kowalewski (Iraklis Thessaloniki)- 90 minutes against PAOK
Tomasz Kuszczak (ManUtd)- not in the squad against Hull
Mariusz Pawelek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes against Ruch, note 7
Sebastian Przyrowski (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Arka, note 5
Lukasz Zaluska (Dundee United)- 90 minutes against Falkirk
Defenders:
Barosz Bosacki (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Odra, note 6
Grzegorz Bronowicki (Red Star Belgrade)- not in the squad against Rad Belgrade, injury
Seweryn Gancarczyk (Metalist Kharkiv)- 90 minutes against Czernomorets
Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bucharest)- 90 minutes against FC Dinamo
Mariusz Jop (FC Moscow)- 90 minutes against Terek
Adam Kokoszka (Empoli F.C.)- 90 minutes against Ancona
Marcin Kowalczyk (Dynamo Moscow)- 90 minutes against Lokomotiv
Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Arka, note 5
Piotr Polczak (Cracovia Krakow)- not in the squad against Jagiellonia, injury
Arkadiusz Radomski (NEC Nijmegen)- on the bench against Sparta
Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht)- 90 minutes and a goal against Germinal
Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Lechia, note 5
Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Odra, note 5
Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos Pireus)- 90 minutes against Ergotelis
Midfielders:
Tomasz Bandrowski (Lech Poznan)- not in the squad against Odra, illness
Rafal Boguski (Wisla Krakow)- not in the squad against Ruch, suspension
Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund)- 81 minutes against Bochum
Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre)- 90 minutes against Valenciennes
Lukasz Gargula (GKS Belchatow)- 90 minutes, a goal and an assist against Gornik, note 7
Roger Guerreiro (Legia Warsaw)- not in the squad against Lechia
Przemysław Kazmierczak (Derby County)- 18 minutes against Nottingham
Jacek Krzynowek (VFL Wolfsburg)- not in the squad against Leverkusen
Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk)- 8 minutes against Zorya
Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow)- 30 minutes against Ruch, note 6
Radoslaw Majewski (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes and an assist against Arka, note 6
Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan)- 49 minutes against Odra, note 6
Szymon Pawlowski (Zaglebie Lubin)- didn’t play this weekend
Michal Pazdan (Gornik Zabrze)- 90 minutes against GKS Belchatow, note 6
Sławomir Peszko (Lech Poznan)- 80 minutes and an assist against Odra, note 7
Attackers:
Pawel Brozek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes and a goal against Ruch, note 7
Dawid Janczyk (CSKA Moscow)- didn’t play against Spartak
Michal Janota (Feyenoord Rotterdam)- on the bench against Roda
Ireneusz Jelen (AJ Auxerre)- not in the squad against Valenciennes, injury
Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan)- 41 minutes and a goal against Odra, note 7
Lukasz Piszczek (Hertha Berlin)- not in the squad against Werder, injury
Grzegorz Rasiak (Watford)- 90 minutes and a goal against Blackpool
Marek Saganowski (Aalborg)- 45 minutes against Odense
Ebi Smolarek (Bolton Wanderers)- on the bench against Man City
Artur Wichniarek (Arminia Bielefeld)- 90 minutes and a goal against Bayern
Tomasz Zahorski (Gornik Zabrze)- 90 minutes against GKS Belchatow, note 4
Maciej Zurawski (Larissa)- 88 minutes against Aris
Summary: Ok, let’s have a look at who became the newest Polish FA president. It’s a person that is yet to prove that he has any managerial skills. It’s a person that has never been a head of a big company or organization before. It’s a person that coached Amica Wronki in the times when this club took part in corruption scandals. It’s a person who chose members of the so called “concrete” fraction (resistant to change) as his closest advisors. Needless to say, a lot of his closest co-workers took part or “failed to notice” the ongoing corruption. It’s a person who failed to present any ideas on how youth training should look like in Poland. It’s a person that is unable to speak any foreign languages on a communicative level. It’s a person who struggled to read his own election programme before voting. Change? Who needs change, it’s good for the USA. After all, Polish football is in a perfect state, all thanks to people who govern it at the moment. I give you the new president of Polish FA, Grzegorz Lato.
If you thought that it’ll take Lato some time to mess something up you were wrong. Only after being elected our wise president said that we can organise Euro 2012 with Germany if Ukraine fails to meet the demands. What class, what diplomacy. Only now we’ve got the whole Ukrainian government on our heads. Please Mr Lato, try to think next time you say something. It really doesn’t hurt.
A video of Lato’s language skills (found on Rafal Stec’s blog)
Artur Wichniarek just won’t let us forget about him. Eight goals this season and counting; maybe he’ll even compete for the top goalscorer crown, though the leader (Ibisevic) has 13 goals to his name. Arminia are now preparing a big rise for Konig Artur, a one that would make him earn twice as much as the other players. That’s how you repay your legend. Is it worth starting the Beenhakker vs Wichniarek debate once again? Personally, I don’t think so. Let’s consider Wichniar a club player only and just admire the goals he scores.
It’s official, Ebi Smolarek failed to win a place in Bolton’s starting lineup. Not only that, he even fails to lift his ass from the bench. That’s a hugely disappointing spell for Ebi, who escaped from Santander in order to get more playing time. Is he that bad, or does he only need more time to adapt? I somehow can’t see him running 90 minutes with his tongue out Bolton style. Another year to forgot for Ebi? It al points in that direction.
Finally, good news came to us from Holland, and this time it didn’t concern Michal Janota. Polish 18 year old Pawel Wojciechowski scored in his debut for SC Heerenveen, the same club for which Radoslaw Matusiak was not good enough. I’ve never seen Wojciechowski play; from what I read he’s a striker that can play in midfield. He scored more goals than there were games for Heerenveen’s youth team and, as a result, was added to the senior team. He played as a midfielder in his debut and wasn’t entirely satisfied because of a painful injury he suffered. Wojciechowski is also a member of Polish U-19 team, so don’t be afraid of anyone stealing him from us. I’ll definitely keep an eye on him.
Highlights:
Pawel Brozek scores in, I have to say it, Magic style
Robert Lewandowski gets lucky
A dynamite of a shot from Lukasz Gargula
Marcin Wasilewski does what he knows best, that is score with a header
Grzegorz Rasiak doesn’t waste time after recovering from injury
Artur Wichniarek keeps his nerve against Bayern
Pawel Wojciechowski, the newest addition to Polish talents list
…..about the new president of Polish FA. Unfortunately, the elections are still under way, so I’m not going to be able to announce the winner here (next time I’ll access the page will probably be on Sunday). Two main candidates are Polish football legends: Grzegorz Lato and Zbigniew Boniek. The former is a sure winner, whereas the latter will, in all probability, become the vice president. Will this choice bring a change in Polish football? I wouldn’t neccessarily count on that.
Grzegorz Lato was a great footballer, but he’s one of the worst politicians that have ever encountered the Polish parliament. He was best known for not undertaking any legislative action or even giving a single speech during the four years he spent in the Senate. Doesn’t sound like a person who’ll have the energy to change Polish football, does it? The simple fact is that he’s not considered very intelligent. Zbigniew Boniek, on contrary, is one of the wisest Polish footballers. Still, he’s already been Polish FA’s vice president and his biggest achievment was selling TV rights to the Polish league. No youth training programme, no fighting against corruption, no building football pitches for youngsters have ever been of much interest to him. Both candidates didn’t present any clear election programmes, so I’m not able to comment on what they’ll do after being elected. Let’s hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.
Coming back to football, some Poles where on the scoresheet this week:
Grzegorz Rasiak’s goal from last weekend, a beauty as always
Just imagine, the players that scored this week are currently outside Poland’s squad. It only shows how good the ones picked by Leo are.
The biggest game in the Polish league ended with Legia defeating Wisla 2:1. It was a very fast and entertaining match, even though sometimes the ambition outbalanced pure football skills. Several national team players were observed by foreign scouts. Will this game result in any specracular transfers? The press remains quiet about that.
Poles in Europe this week:
Goalkeepers:
Artur Boruc (Celtic Glasgow)- 90 minutes against Hibernian
Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal London)- on the bench against West Ham
Wojciech Kowalewski (Iraklis Thessaloniki)- 90 minutes against Panathinaikos
Tomasz Kuszczak (ManUtd)- on the bench against Everton
Mariusz Pawelek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes against Legia, note 6
Sebastian Przyrowski (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against GKS Belchatow, note 5
Lukasz Zaluska (Dundee United)- 90 minutes against St Mirren
Defenders:
Barosz Bosacki (Lech Poznan)- 11 minutes against Slask
Grzegorz Bronowicki (Red Star Belgrade)- not in the squad against OFK Belgrade, injury
Seweryn Gancarczyk (Metalist Kharkiv)- 90 minutes and an assist against Metalurg Donetsk
Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bucharest)- 90 minutes against Gloria
Mariusz Jop (FC Moscow)- not in the squad against Saturn, injury
Adam Kokoszka (Empoli F.C.)- on the bench against Pisa
Marcin Kowalczyk (Dinamo Moscow)- match today
Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against GKS Belchatow, note 5
Piotr Polczak (Cracovia Krakow)- not in the squad against Odra, injury
Arkadiusz Radomski (NEC Nijmegen)- 90 minutes and a goal against Vitesse
Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht)- 90 minutes against Ajax
Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Wisla, note 6
Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Slask, note 5
Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos Pireus)- 90 minutes against Aris
Midfielders:
Tomasz Bandrowski (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Slask, note 6
Rafal Boguski (Wisla Krakow)- not in the squad against Legia, suspension
Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund)- 19 minutes against Hertha, got injured
Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre)- 90 minutes against Lyon
Lukasz Gargula (GKS Belchatow)- 90 minutes against Polonia Warsaw, note 6
Roger Guerreiro (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Wisla, note 5
Przemysław Kazmierczak (Derby County)- 90 minutes against Coventry
Jacek Krzynowek (VFL Wolfsburg)- not in the squad against Bayern Munich
Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk)- 61 minutes against FC Kharkiv
Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow)- 65 minutes against Legia, note 4
Radoslaw Majewski (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against GKS Belchatow, note 5
Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Slask, note 6
Szymon Pawlowski (Zaglebie Lubin)- 90 minutes against Flota, note 5
Michal Pazdan (Gornik Zabrze)- 90 minutes against LKS Lodz, note 6
Sławomir Peszko (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Slask, note 5
Attackers:
Pawel Brozek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes, and a goal against Legia, note 7
Dawid Janczyk (CSKA Moscow)- match today
Michal Janota (Feyenoord Rotterdam)- 13 minutes against Heerenveen
Ireneusz Jelen (AJ Auxerre)- 89 minutes against Lyon, got injured
Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes and a goal against Slask, note 6
Lukasz Piszczek (Hertha Berlin)- not in the squad against Borussia Dortmund, injury
Grzegorz Rasiak (Watford)- 90 minutes and a goal against Wolverhampton
Marek Saganowski (Aalborg)- 80 minutes and a goal against Randers FC
Ebi Smolarek (Bolton Wanderers)- on the bench against Tottenham
Artur Wichniarek (Arminia Bielefeld)- 87 minutes against Schalke 04
Tomasz Zahorski (Gornik Zabrze)- 81 minutes and a goal against LKS Lodz, note 6
Maciej Zurawski (Larissa)- 90 minutes against Panthrakikos
Summary: Wisla just can’t win with Legia this year, it’s slowly becoming a curse for them. Even though they’ve taken the lead, they couldn’t hold it till the 90th minute. It was a game of two well matched teams. Legia is definitely on the rise, whereas Wisla looks a bit, well, depressed after they were eliminated from the UEFA Cup by Tottenham. Too many Wisla players are out of form or in average form. It especially applies to both wingers, Marek Zienczuk and Wojciech Lobodzinski. The former was one of the league’s biggest stars last season, but has failed to make any sort of impact this year. Lobo has played for Wisla since February, but Biala Gwiazda supporters fail to remember any spectacular game from the former Zaglebie Lubin player. No wonder Leo sent his former favourite right winger to the stands in the last couple of national team games. The Wisla player that is currently playing on international level is Pawel Brozek. He scored a “clean” goal and had three other shots saved by Legia goalie Jan Mucha. Bologna, Tottenham, Feyenoord, Galatasaray and lately FC Nantes are listed as the clubs that are interested in the services of Poland’s starting striker. Wisla wants to receive at least 4M euros, which I think may be a price too high for a player from the Polish league. As for Legia players; Roger did well, but far from spectacular. He played a lot of fine diagonal passes, but what foreign scouts have surely observed is that he’s not dynamic enough for most of the Western leagues. Roger’s contract ends in a year’s time so the upcoming transfer window will be the last chance for Legia to cash in on Guerreiroski. Still, there’s no sign of any serious offers. Finally, Jakub Wawrzyniak had a quite good game; he dominated the left wing, both in defence and offense. He was certainly better than the other potential nt left back Piotr Brozek, who had his share in both goals for Legia. 1-0 for Wawrzyniak in this duel. What do you make of the Polish El Classico?
Two players that were some time ago concerned the lone strikers Poland is looking for reminded about themselves this weekend. Grzegorz Rasiak scored his debut goal for Watford; in my opinion the first of many to come. He’s just a player perfectly suited for Championship football and, at the same time, perfectly ‘unsuited’ for international football. Other former Polish hopeful, Tomasz Zahorski, scored what was only his first goal this season. A ray of hope in what has so far been a disastrous season for Zahor. A player who was to make a huge step forward this season has fallen in league’s mediocrity. The only hope for Zahorski is his current coach, Henryk Kasperczak. Next year we should learn if Zahor was a one season wonder or if he really has potential to be considered a national team candidate.
Highlights:
Legia-Wisla highlights